Secrets of Exertus Contradico - COMPLETE
by Erin Bennett
Summary: Hermione's parents aren't who she thinks they are, and it's all a result of an unplanned batch of kittens.
1. The Truth

"Minerva? May I speak with you for a moment, in private?" Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They often spoke in private, and Professor McGonagall saw nothing different between this situation.  
  
"It has come to my attention that one Hermione Granger has been conducting paternity tests in her spare time."  
  
A worried look came over Minerva's face at the news. "Well that's atrocious, why ever would she be doing that Professor?"  
  
"Seems a little brawl broke out between herself and a Pansy Parkinson. Pansy's cat Mittens has had a litter of kittens, and she believes Crookshanks to be the father."  
  
Relief spilled over her face. "Then what is the problem, Professor?" There surely must be more to this than a simple litter of kittens.  
  
"The potion she has decided to use is called Exertus Contradico. It tells in words who the parents of the subject in question are."  
  
Again a horrified look came across Professor McGonagall's face. "Well, has she only tested the kittens?"  
  
"So far, yes." A sign of relief came from the female teacher. "But," Oh know, there is always a but, she thought. "The girls have carelessly left the potion in the dungeon, where Draco Malfoy found it. I believe he has plans to prove Hermione isn't the muddge-born witch everyone thinks she is."  
  
And with that, Professor Dumbledore left, leaving Minerva shocked and angered at the thought of Hermione's past becoming public knowledge.  
  
~*~  
  
Twenty minutes prior to the Professor's discussion, Hermione and Pansy were in the potions lab, finishing up their tests on the littler of ginger kittens.  
  
"The dam of this kitten is Mittens!" The cauldron shouted.   
  
"We already knew that!" Pansy snapped back. "Tell us who the father is!"  
  
"Very well. The sire of this kitten is-" The door swung open and Professor Snape, the Potions teacher, stormed in.  
  
"WHAT are you two doing in here! With those animals no less. 10 points from each of you!" Snape growled, and then walked away into his office.  
  
"As I was saying," The cauldron continued. "The sire of this kitten is Croockshanks!"  
  
"I told you! Your mean old cat had his way with my precious little Mittens. Here!" Pansy shoved the box of 6 week old kittens over to Hermione and ran away crying, holding a very upset Mittens under her arm.  
  
"Now what are we going to do?" Hermione asked, but nobody answered. She picked up her things, and her new litter of kittens, and headed back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
~*~  
  
Things weren't as bad as they seemed. The entire Gryffindor house loved the kittens, and played with them at any passing moment. Neville had even adopted one, and named it Trevor after his late Toad. Everything was going well until the following morning..  
  
"Well if it isn't Hermione Granger," A familiar voice said. "The smartest Mudblood Hogwarts has ever seen! Or so we believe."  
  
"What on earth are you talking about, Malfoy? Of course I'm a mudblood, you've seen my parents!"  
  
"Indeed I have, but I have reason to believe they aren't who you think they are. I like that, Granger. If it turns out you aren't a Mudblood, there could be hope for us." A slight smile was beginning to form on Draco's face, but Hermione didn't notice.  
  
"I don't know what you are up to, Malfoy, but frankly I don't care. Now if you would excuse me, I'm late for Transfigurations."  
  
"I wonder what has gotten into him?" Whispered Harry to Ron, who were following Hermione on the way to class. "The way he was talking, you'd think he had a crush on our Hermione! Yuck!"  
  
~*~  
  
The conversation with Malfoy was replayed countless times in Hermiones head through the course of the day. 'What exactly did he mean when he said my parents weren't who I thought they were?' Finally, she decided she would talk to Professor Dumbledore. Maybe he could straighten some things out for her.  
  
Hermione walked to the entrance of Dumbledore's office, gave the password ("Jawbreakers!") and entered his office. She watched him for a moment, trying to chew the small muggle candy, and then made her presence known.  
  
"Professor? I was wondering if I could have a word with you."  
  
A little startled, Albus stood up and agreed, and they both had a seat around his desk.  
  
"What's on your mind, Miss Granger? It's not often that you come to see me."  
  
"You see Professor, Draco Malfoy mentioned something earlier that has been stuck in my mind all day. I was wondering if you could sort out the matter for me. He told me he had reasons to believe that my parents aren't who I think they are."  
  
"Hmm, I see. Well, as you know, Draco Malfoy has a tendency expose thruths that people do not want discovered."  
  
"Truths, sir?"  
  
"Yes, dear. Truths. I suppose I have no choice but to tell you now. You are not a muggle-born witch, Miss Granger." 


	2. McGonegall's Secret

" I suppose I have no choice but to tell you now. You are not a muggle-born witch, Miss Granger."  
  
Those words ran through Hermione's mind for the remainder of the day. She couldn't believe what Professor Dumbledore had told her. 'What does it mean?' She pondered. 'There must be some mistake. My parent's are muggles. That I'm sure of!' then something caught her eye. On the night-stand next to her bed, stood a picture of her mother and father. She examined it closely, looking deep into the faces of her parents. Then she realized the truth, and sat on her bed in amazement and disbelief.  
  
~*~  
  
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Draco Malfoy was putting the Exertus Contradico potion to good use. He first tested himself, and his friends, Crabble and Goyle, to ensure the potion still worked correctly. Carefully, he placed a single strand of his platinum blonde hair into the potion, and waited.  
  
"The person in question is the son of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy!" The potion bubbled, and Draco grinned.  
  
Again Draco tried the potion, and again was pleased when the potion revealed the names of Crabble and Goyle's parents, in turn.  
  
Finally the time came to discover who had brought little Hermione Granger into the world. With great caution, Draco took a strand of Hermione's hair out of a hairbrush that he had taken from her bag the day before. As he dropped the hair into the bubbling mixture, the pot grew bright red and started boiling rapidly.  
  
"Indeed," It said. "The parents of the witch in question were truly ones of the most powerful wizards of their time, and in turn, so will their daughter."  
  
"Stop babbling and tell me their names you babbling potion!" Draco was clearly enraged, and growing more impatient with the pot.  
  
"Very well, you impatient boy. I will tell you the parents of this girl. They are.."  
  
~*~  
  
"Professor? May I speak with you for a moment?" Hermione slowly entered the office belonging to her transfigurations teacher. "I was wondering if you could help me come to terms with something."  
  
"This wouldn't have anything to do with your parents, would it Miss Granger?"  
  
"How did you kn--"  
  
"Now my dear, you know that Professor Dumbledore and I speak frequently when it comes to the welfare of our students. Now, you are wondering how your birth-parents could abandon you, is that correct?"  
  
Hermione was amazed at her accuracy, and nodded slowly.  
  
"I have a story for you Miss Granger, one I hope you will not share with anyone else. I do not want it becoming public knowledge. You see, a long time ago, I was involved somewhat seriously with another co-worker. One thing lead to another, and we found ourselves pregnant with our first child."  
  
Hermione looked very surprised to say the least. She had never pictured Professor McGonagall to be the type to let her hair down once and awhile. She said nothing and let her teacher continue.  
  
"The father and I decided it was best for all of us if we didn't keep the child. Seeing as we were both professionals, and workplace relationships were severely frowned upon, we also decided to keep it our secret, and never let anyone else know about it. I met a couple who dearly wanted a child, and together we arranged that they would raise the child as their own, but the father and I would have a role in raising it as well. It was the hardest decision of my life, but I do not to this day regret it."  
  
After what seemed like forever, Hermione finally asked, "Do you know who my parents are? Are they great wizards? There is so mu--"  
  
"Yes, my dear. I know your parents very well, and they are great wizards. You will be pleased to know that they have been tracking your progress and are extremely proud of you. Any more questions should be directed to your parents, the ones who raised you. They can help you in more ways than I. Now if I am not mistaken, we're going to be late for dinner"  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione had yet to tell her two best friends, Harry and Ron, about the whole ordeal. She thought for a time that it was none of their business, but then realized that she couldn't very well go see Professor McGonagall every time she had a little problem. Harry must know what she's going though, maybe he could help.  
  
"Harry, I need your help. How do you cope with not knowing what your parents were like?"  
  
"Hermione, I hate to interrupt, but you know your parents!" Snapped Ron.  
  
"Actually Ron, I don't even know who they are. All I know is that they were great wizards." Hermione explained the best she could, from what Draco Malfoy had said about her parents not being who she thought they were, to Professor Dumbledore confirming that she was not of muggle birth.  
  
"Then how does Dumbledore and McGonagall know about it?" Asked Harry. "Surely these things are kept confidential, if even you don't know!"  
  
A great question. How could they have known about her past? She supposed that being the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore had to know. Then another thought came to mind, if her parents were suck great wizards, why was she adopted into a muggle family? 


	3. The Letter

Mom and Dad,  
How's life been treating you? Things here have become a little strange. It all started when this boy, Draco Malfoy, said my parents weren't who I thought they were. Professor Dumbledore told me that indeed my parents were wizards, and Professor McGonagall confirmed that by adding that they were very powerful and highly respected in the wizarding world. Why didn't you tell me? Here I am in my 6th year at Hogwarts, finally fitting in with the kids who were raised by magical families, when I find out that I could have lived my entire live this way.   
Your daug-- Sincerely yours, Hermione  
  
Hermione borrowed Hedwig to send the letter to her, parents? Guardians? Friends in the muggle world? She wasn't sure what they were to her now, but she told Hedwig it was important for whoever they were to get the letter as soon as possible.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey Mudblood! Or Should I say pure-blood!" It was Draco, who else. "Now that we know the truth about your mysterious past, what do you say to us getting together? It's only natural for the most handsome guy in the school to have the smartest girl on his arm, don't you agree?"  
  
"On my mother's grave, Malfoy!" She replied sharply.  
  
"Too bad you don't know who your mother really is, Granger. But I do."   
  
He knows? How could he possibly know? Hermione's eyes swelled with tears as she stormed her way to the Gryffindor common room. Once there, she grabbed Crookshanks and collapsed into an armchair by the fire. She sat for a long time, just staring at the fire.   
  
Suddenly there was a rustling behind her, which send a chill through her entire body. Slowly she turned to see what it was, and was relieved to see it was only Trevor, one of the remaining kittens. Then it hit her, Draco Malfoy knew who her parents were, because of the Exertus Contradico potion! How could she have been so stupid not to have realized! She stood up quickly, forgetting about the sleeping cat on her lap, who fell to the ground with a quiet growl, and headed towards the Potions classroom.  
  
~*~  
  
"And what may I attribute this honor, Miss Granger?" Hermione was startled by the voice, which came from Professor Snape who was sitting at his desk near the front of the room. She hadn't seen him, and was quite nervous about his presence.  
  
"Oh! Professor Snape! Funny meeting you here! Nice weather were having, don't you agree?" She nervously made her way to the potions cupboard, only to be blocked by Snape.  
  
"Miss Granger! I don't have a clue what you could possibly be up to, but I assure you that I will inform Professor Dumbledore immediately!"  
  
"There's no need, Severus." Professor Dumbledore was standing in the doorway of the classroom, with a letter in his hands. "Miss Granger, I think you should read this. It may help solve some of your questions regarding your situation." 


	4. A Note from Home

It was a long walk back to Professor Dumbledore's office. He had requested that she read the letter in private, to ensure the secret stays as a secret. The last thing Dumbledore wanted was the news to become public knowledge. There were a lot of things in his past that he wasn't proud of, but keeping such an important secret from his most prized student was surely the worst. He felt horrible for doing it, and hoped that she would forgive him when she fully understood the situation.   
  
The letter that Dumbledore had given Hermione was from her parents. Not the parents she was raised by, but her true parents. It was dated August 19th, 1981.  
  
Our Dearest Hermione,  
Happy Birthday! You are now 17 years old, and have developed into a beautiful young witch. No doubt you have realized, or have even been told by your teachers, that you are not the muggle-born witch you were raised as. We are regretfully sorry for this, but you must understand our position. You see, times are very bad in the wizarding world, Voldemort is at the height of his power, and each of us are extremely busy trying to keep the students at Hogwarts safe from him. This is why you have been living in the muggle community. We have decided that this will be the best way to keep you safe and out of harms way. It would be devastating for both of us if anything were to happen to our dearest child as a result of the Dark Lord. Please find it in your heart to forgive us, we really had no choice. Your muggle parents have the final say in revealing our identities, as this letter could find its way into the wrong hands and be used to harm you. Happy birthday, our sweet little girl.  
Love always, your Mom and Dad.  
  
Hermione was confused. "But Professor, it's not my birthday."  
  
"Under the circumstances, my dear, your parents decided to let you read your letter early. To help you understand." Professor Dumbledore had a curious smile on his face, Hermione couldn't explain it, but it looked as if he was trying to tell her something. She dismissed the thought, and read the letter a second time.  
  
There was a tap on the window, a large eagle owl sat perched on the window sill, holding a letter in its beak. Professor Dumbledore opened the window and took the letter, and closed the window. He walked slowly back to his desk examining the envelope, and finally, its contents.  
  
"I'm sorry for cutting this meeting short, Miss Granger, but this letter has matters that are quite urgent. Perhaps Professor McGonagall can assist you further"   
  
"Of course, Professor. Thank you for the letter" Hermione walked to the door, took another look at the headmaster who was reading the contents of his letter, and left the room.  
  
"Oh dear," He said to himself. "This is really getting out of hand."  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione shared her letter with Harry and Ron, who combed over every word of it, trying to find deeper meaning. They read the letter countless times, until they decided it was best for Hermione to take the Headmasters advice, and talk to Professor McGonagall again. They also agreed it was best to wait a few days, after all, Hermione hadn't done her homework in over 2 weeks!  
  
The next morning at breakfast, the owl post delivered its usual bundle of newspapers to Hermione's seat. Today, however, she also had a letter, addressed with a postage stamp. Of course it was from her parents, and she opened it immediately. As she read the letter, she became aware of two pairs of eyes watching her. From the teachers table, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were watching Hermione's reaction to the letter. She thought nothing of it, of course they were interested in what her parents were going to say. Her birth-parents had said they left the decision with her adopted parents about their identity, maybe that's why they were watching her so closely.   
  
The letter didn't tell her anything she didn't know already, but it was nice to hear from them. Harry and Ron pointed out the looks the two teachers were now giving each other, as if they were greatly relieved by the contents of Hermione's letter.  
  
As Hermione was packing up her things to leave the Great Hall, an eagle owl swooped down and dropped this weeks copy of Witch Weekly, a popular tabloid magazine, at Hermione's place. The headline, written in large flashing letters, along with the cover photo, made Hermione gasp with astonishment and then faint. 


	5. Homecoming

The headline, written in large flashing letters, along with the cover photo, made Hermione gasp with astonishment and then faint.  
  
When Hermione awoke, she was in the Hospital Wing, under the care of Madam Pomfrey. Around her were Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, who were both smiling as she sat up. She was still quite confused, and then remembered what had caused her to faint, the Witch Weekly.  
  
She picked up the magazine, and examined the three smiling faces on the cover smiling back at her. She remembered when this picture was taken, the end of school last year, when she had received word that she would be a Prefect. Beside her was Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, looking very proud. It had been the happiest day in Hermoine's life, and she was glad that the two most important people in her wizarding life were there to share it with her.   
  
Her attention then turned to the flashing headline, which of course was a lie. "HOGWART'S LOVE CHILD REVEALED!" She sat puzzled for a moment, and then turned to her professors.  
  
"Why would they think that? There's no way..." She trailed off as she remembered the letter she had received from her birth-parents. 'Each of us are extremely busy trying to keep the students at Hogwarts safe.' It would make sense, Hogwarts teachers would have been busy keeping things safe, they couldn't very well have taken care of a baby. And Professor McGonagall had told her that she had a baby with a co-worker. The two professors could tell she had figured it out, and sat in silence.  
  
"Hermione, dear. I think it is important for you to know the entire story." Professor McGonagall had moved to sit next to Hermione on the bed. "Professor Dumbledore and I were involved for a period of time, and kept it extremely secret. The other professors at the school didn't even know. We were delighted when we became pregnant, and I even took a year off teaching to raise you myself. Of course Albus helped out whenever he could, but with the Dark Lord gaining power, it was very hard. Then it came so bad that there was no way I could stay home with you. The war was getting worse with each passing day, and we needed everyone to give their full support to finding a way to stop him. We went into the muggle world, and found a couple, your parents, who dearly wanted a child. We told them everything, and agreed that we would not tell you until your 17th birthday."  
  
Dumbledore cut in, "It was never our intention to hurt you in any way, Hermione. We didn't want you growing up in an unstable world, same as with your friend Harry. The Wizarding world was not the place to raise a small child, and you deserved two parents who could devote all their attention to you."  
  
Hermione examined the photo on the magazine cover once more. She had Dumbledore's hair, no question there. McGonagall's eye and ears, and her mind was definitely a combination of both of them. A smile formed on her face, as she looked from the photo to the two people surrounding her. She was complete now, her family was back together. She gave them both a big hug, and asked, "So, I think I'm missing at least 15 years worth of late birthday presents!" The three of them laughed as they left the Hospital Wing, with their arms wrapped tightly around each others waist. Hermione was in the middle, Smiling wildly. 


End file.
